Arizona weekly enterprise., 1887-06-04
FAIRY LAMPS OF THE SEA.
starfish That Sparkle Like Brilliant Gems.
 Phosphorcscent Jellyfish.

attract attention; but if they are ex- amined at night they develop new beauty, gleaming with wondrous light that is so little understood. The star fishes brought up at certain places are all seemingly heated to a white heat, the gleams running up and down the arms, making the animal a marvel of beauty. Especially among the stars known as ophinrans is the light most brilliant and interesting. Even the very young ones sparkle like gems. A dredge has been taken from great depth fairly overflow ing with these dazzling creatures, telling a wonderful story of the condition of things below the surface. These are the lights of the bottom, and in shoaler water we shall find anemones and corals emit ting a wonderful light.
 Perhaps the most striking light given is a group of polyps, growing upon stem three or four feet in length, resem- bling tall candlestick. The name of this creature is the umbellularia, and it was first found in deep water off the coast of Greenland, the trawl bringing up such large number that it was evident that the ship had passed over veritable forest of them. Imagine corn-feld mile or so below the surface, the stalks four feet long and the ears emitting a golden greenish light of wonderful soft ness; think of this as spread over acres of surface to an indefinite extent, the lights waving here and there in gentle un- dulations; imagine fishes darting through them with gleaming headlights, others outlined in fire, while far above are great globes of light, with soft aureolas, and some idea of this world beneath the sea can be formed.
 The jeIyish, or medusae, are among the most remarkable of light givers, and, with few exceptions, they are luminous, some being more so than others, and much of the phosphorescence of the Pacific, as seen from the decks of vessels, is due to these creatures-that are so beautifully formed and so delicate in color, yet in reality are 90 per cent. water; in all jelly fish per cent will represent the solid part
 In some, as pelagia, the entire animal is luminous, it's shape being outlined in full, as it were, while in others only cer- tain portions are light emitting. Not only are these creatures phosphorescent, but the colors are different; some emit a golden light; in others it is green or azure, and some seem to combine several tints. Again, certain ones are luminous all the time; others show their light in a fitful way or when disturbed; and during the autumn of the year, when these radiant creatures are hurled against the rocks and ground up, their lights seem to combine in turning the entire ocean into secthing caldron.
 Among the crustaceans, or, as they are commonly called, the crabs, we find some l interesting light givers. Several years | ago some explorers on our southwestern coast found that as night came on the snow sludge along shore gave out light, and when it was fully dark the display was extremely remarkable; at every step flashes of light splashed about every where, tinted with an intense blue hue, and the scene presented could be dupli- cated if it were possible for man to walk | through molten metal. The little creature l that produced this light was extremely small, but what it lacked in size it made l up in numbers, the cold, icy water being fairly alive with them, each one flashing like gem.
 Probably nearly all of the deep sea forms are light givers, either over their entire surface or upon certain places. One which I call to mind has luminous bands upon it's legs, while another, with an unpronounceable name, has luminous eyes. The worms that hide in the mud are brilliant light givers, some emitting l lights of several colors. The sea plumes and fans of the south are gorgeous in a lilac light. In fact, in some places every thing brought to the surface is a light giver, so that we can well imagine thai while the deep sea has no sunlight, ma ture has done her best to compensate fol the omission.
 Even among the shells we find light givers. The little cleodora, with it's little fairy ship or shell, enlits light now o1 intense blue, again red or white, while the pholas, the little bivalve that ente1T solid rock with all the case of the miner has brilliant bluish light that continue: even after the death of the animal, anC as long ago as the time of Pliny writer said that those who dined upon tht pilolas appeared to be eating fire, so vivic was the phosphorescence. Some inter esting experiments have been tried witt this light giver. Thus by placing one il honey its luminosity was retained for ; year. As may be surnised such experi nents were made with the idea of ren dering the phosphorescence of the phola permanent, and if the secret of anima luminosity could be discovered and ap piled to the wants of the man it woult
 without doubt revolutionize existing methods.
 We have seen that the deep sea an, shallow waters have their lights, yet all these were combined the most deli cately adjusted thermometer would fai
 10 show the slightest elevation of tenn
 perature, and this is the peculiarity 0
 phosphorescent light. It is heatless, glow in vacuum, under water-in fact, in al
 conditions where ordinary light fails. l
 1t is combustion no one can prove il and a consumption of organic fuel, ac companied by light but not heat, is diff
 cult to understand. Endless theories hay
 been propounded to explain the phe
 nomena, and it is safe to say that yer little more is known to-day than was ad
 vanced where phosphorescence was frs
 observed. Francisco Call.
 , Accident in Cooking School. The other day something slipped an f boiling water ran over Miss Maria Pal